The painting by Georgia O'Keeffe immediately made me think of the Grapes of Wrath. In this painting, I see a horizon beyond the black cross. The horizon goes on and on into a glowing red, which to me symbolizes either the heat of the desert, or the red of hell. The black cross symbolizes a pursuit of God in lands unknown, but all the Joads find over their bumpy journey is a form of hell waiting for them. The ups and downs (small hills) of the picture fit in nicely when Tom is talking about the California landscape, and the red theme fits well with the desert that Pa keeps referring to. I also think that this painting carries a theme of the open road. This theme conveys the message of traveling into unknown territory. In this thought, the red could symbolize the red dawn where the horizon represents only the beginning of the journey. That is why I chose a quote from Jack Kerouac's On the Road. The travels of Dean and Sal reflect this theme perfectly.
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